Grains
By Madelyn Pemberton Hour 7
Nutrients and Benefits
Nutrients:
- Dietary Fiber- may help reduce blood cholesterol levels, may lower the rick of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes
- Iron- improve absorption of non-heme iron
- Magnesium- building bones and releasing energy from muscles
Benefits:
- Consuming whole grains as part of a healthy diet may reduce the rick of heart disease
- Consuming foods that have fiber may reduce constipation
- Eating whole grains may help with weight management
- Eating grain products fortified with folate before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects during fetal development
Grain Groups
There are two subgroups of Grains:
- Whole Grains- These grains contain all the natural parts of the grain
- Refined Grains- These grains processed and some parts of the grains are removed
Grain Examples
Bagels
- Refined Grain
Cookies
- Refined Grain
Pizza Crust
- Refined Grain
Ways A Label Can Display Whole Grain Ingredients
- Whole Grain Barley
- Whole Grain Corn
- Millet
- Whole Rye
- Wild Rice
Tips On Reading The Label
- Foods labeled with the words "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" are usually not whole-grain products
- Color is not an indication of a whole grain, Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients
What Is An Ounce?
1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce-equivalent from the Grains Group.
Bagel
The amount of bagels equivalent to 1 oz. of grains. A full sized bagel is equivalent to 4 oz. of grains.
English Muffin
The amount of English muffins that is equivalent to 1 oz. is 1/2 an English muffin. 1 muffin is equivalent to 2 oz. of grains
Popcorn
The amount of popcorn that is equivalent to 1 oz. is 3 cups of popcorn. 1 mini popcorn bag is equivalent to 2 oz. of grains.